The present invention relates to vehicle bumper systems having a bumper beam and components attached to the beam for forming a structural corner of a vehicle.
Vehicle bumper systems commonly include beams and components attached to ends of the beams for forming aesthetically pleasing corners on vehicles, for supporting fascia, and for providing structure to withstand corner impacts. However, the additional components add cost, weight, and secondary operations, and further can add dimensional variations and quality control problems. Further, every additional piece adds hidden costs, such as increased inventory, parts management, floor space requirements, and the like.
It is desirable to integrate components in bumper systems to save space, to reduce the number of parts, and to reduce the complexity of assembly. However, this must be done without sacrificing cost, quality, and bumper strength, and without sacrificing the ability to tune the bumper system to pass federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) and regulations. In particular, it is desirable to provide a system having an optimized transfer of energy from corner impacts to the structure of the bumper beam and to the structure of the vehicle frame, in order to assure that the vehicles pass the increasingly difficult federal regulations relating to corner impact strengths and functional requirements.
Accordingly, a bumper system is desired solving the aforementioned problems and having the aforementioned advantages.
In one aspect of the present invention, a bumper system for vehicles includes a tubular beam having front, top, bottom, and rear walls, and further having open tubular ends. The bumper system further includes a pair of mounting brackets each having a mounting section attached to the rear wall on an associated one of the open tubular ends and having an integral corner-forming section extending from the mounting section laterally around the associated one end to cover the associated one end and forwardly to a location where the corner-forming section attaches to the front wall of the associated one end.
In another aspect of the present invention, a bumper system for vehicles includes a tubular beam having open ends, and a pair of mounting brackets each having a U-shaped mounting section attached to the beam for supporting the beam on a vehicle. The mounting brackets further have an outboard leg extending from the mounting section laterally around an associated one of the open ends and forwardly to a location where the outboard leg attaches to the front wall of the associated one end.
In another aspect of the present invention, a bumper system for vehicles includes a tubular beam having opposing ends, and a pair of mounting brackets each having a mounting section attached to a rear surface of the beam for supporting the beam on a vehicle and further having an outboard leg spaced from an associated one of the opposing ends and extending from the mounting section to a front surface of the associated one end.
In another aspect of the present invention, a bumper system for vehicles includes a beam having opposing ends and a first front surface. Mounting brackets are attached to the beam for supporting the beam on a vehicle. An energy absorber engages the first front surface and extends to the ends, the energy absorber having a second front surface. The mounting brackets each include an outboard leg that extends around an associated one of the ends and has a third front surface that generally aligns with and extends outboard from the second front surface of the energy absorber.
In another aspect of the present invention, a bumper system includes a tubular beam having front, top, bottom, and rear walls defining at least one tube; and a pair of mounting brackets attached to the beam near associated ends of the beam. The mounting brackets each have an inboard edge and the tubular beam has an end section that begins at a location near the inboard edge and that extends to the associated end of the beam. At least one of the front, top, bottom, and rear walls have an enlarged aperture forming a crush initiator on the end section, the crush initiator being shaped to selectively reduce a strength of the beam in an area of the crush initiator for controlling corner impact strength.